When I first started to do yoga again after several decades of inactivity, I had concerns. Was I too old for yoga to be effective? Would the extra pounds that I had picked up over the years prevent me from doing the moves properly? Was I too stiff to enjoy yoga? Would I be embarrassed to join a yoga class and be surrounded by younger people doing advanced moves? Now that I have been doing yoga for a few months, I have never felt better.
I’ll explain exactly what is in each video in a second, but, first I want to give you a chance to watch Cat’s introduction video. In it she explains how the gentle yoga course is organized and what you can expect. It’s also a great chance to get a feeling for Cat’s personality (I promise that you will fall in love with her like I did!), so please enjoy!

Luckily, YouTube is a treasure trove of awesome (and free!) workouts—and that includes yoga routines. We compiled 21 of our favorite, super-effective videos: With options ranging from quickie sessions to ones that focus on relaxation to those that target specific trouble areas, there’s bound to be one that works for you. Consider this the green light for plenty of at-home om-ing.

Your morning sets the tone for the entire day, so if you wake up feeling tired and stressed, you won’t be off to the best start. A quick early-morning yoga flow is a great way to clear your mind and wake up your sleepy muscles. In this 15-minute sequence, instructor Irina Ovsiannikova from YG Studios in New York City demonstrates the ideal yoga flow to motivate and energize you for the day ahead.

We’ve selected yoga videos for some of the most common poses you’ll encounter in a yoga class. Each pose has an English name and a Sanskrit name—in these videos you may hear just one name, or both. The first nine poses collectively comprise the yoga sequence Sun Salutation A, which is a set sequence of postures often found at the beginning of a yoga class intended to warm up the body.
On an inhale, reach your front hand as far forward toward as you can, bringing the rib cage forward. On an exhale, hinge forward from the hip joint, reaching your right arm down and your left arm up, creating straight line up and down. Place your right fingertips either on top of your right ankle, on the floor, or on a block just outside the ankle. Extend the arms and open the chest.

Sweet dreams are made of these... yoga poses. You’ll move through shoulder-opening poses to relieve stress, gentle forward bends (which host Jason Crandell says will quiet nerves), and hip openers that’ll help slash tension. Plus, the fact that Crandell’s detailed, easy-to-follow instruction is as soothing as the sequence itself helps set you up for some quality shut-eye. (via Yoga Journal)

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About the channel: Nazaahah Amin is a leader in the wellness community for women of color. "Yoga is an excellent tool that can foster sisterhood and promote healing in the Black community," she writes on her website. She invites women to join her tribe by either coming to her DC- and Baltimore-based classes, or joining in online on her website or YouTube. Her channel is a mixture of classes and motivational messages and reflections.
Experts say: "My channel is all about finding support for creating a body-affirming yoga practice that fits people's regular lives. On the channel, folks can find pose tips, practices, and discussion about making yoga work for people of all shapes and sizes and how yoga can be a powerful tool for body acceptance." — Anna Guest-Jelley, Yoga Teacher and Founder of Curvy Yoga
Consult your physician and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program or using any supplement or meal replacement product, especially if you have any unique medical conditions or needs. The contents on our website are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to diagnose any medical condition, replace the advice of a healthcare professional, or provide any medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
This video’s racked up more than a million views for one reason: It rocks. California-based yogi Tim Senesi kills it with this total-body vinyasa flow, which is geared for beginner to intermediate yogis (though it does include some more advanced arm-balance poses, like twisted crow). His super-specific direction makes it easy to follow and so enjoyable. (via Fightmaster Yoga)
Hands are shoulder-width distance apart and feet are hip-width distance. Look back at your toes and keep your ears in line with your arms. Press your palms into the mat and create a straight line from your wrists, to your shoulders, to your hips. Engage your core muscles. Press your heels down toward the mat (even if they don’t touch the floor) and attempt to straighten the legs without locking them.
There are a variety of yoga accessories that can enhance your yoga training. Browse yoga socks, yoga accessories, and more from DICK'S Sporting Goods. Transporting your mat to and from the studio is a breeze with yoga mats that come with straps that allow you to roll and store your mat. If you don’t have straps, choose from a variety of stylish and convenient yoga bags, so you can carry your mat with ease.

About the channel: Jessamyn Stanley is a yoga instructor, a body activist, and a self-titled "fat femme" on a mission to defy stereotypes about who can do yoga. Her channel has mostly short videos on how to do poses, but she also has a couple classes and inspirational talks. She's been featured all over, from our site to Glamour to Cosmo, and for good reason: She's a total badass.

The way the capitalist economy works makes it very hard for most of us to get the basics we need to stay alive, including housing and healthcare. We are encouraged to become competitive money making bots, and we are denied the time to attend to the things that really matter, like caring for community members, mending the environment or enjoying being alive on this planet. This contradiction makes some of us anxious and/or depressed, and/or leads to addiction and untransformative social unrest.

I started feeling my left knee pop and my back ache at the base of my neck. With any new exercise, it’s normal to feel some new aches and pains while your muscles adjust. When you release tight muscles as you start doing yoga, it impacts your overall posture and muscles in unexpected places across your body, which might make you sore. Since I’m a desk worker, I wasn’t surprised that waking up neglected neck muscles was uncomfortable—they always get sore when I exercise my upper body, and the sensation was familiar.
Shop a large range of styles, including loose-fitting pants, compression pants and shorts, comfortable tank tops, sports bras that offer support where you need it and much more. Tailored to allow a maximum range of motion without adding resistance, this incredibly comfortable apparel will move with your body as you work your way through a variety of poses. Shop the full collection of yoga pants to find the perfect pant for your workout.